Tenth International Conference on The Constructed Environment

Abstract

The Whitney Museum of American Art has undergone multiple reinventions and relocations in its ninety year history. None more visible than the museum’s move in 2015, leaving the Whitney’s 1960’s Marcel Breuer building without a permanent, institutional occupant. While renovations, additions, and even subtractions have become commonplace as museums in the 20th and 21st century, it is exceedingly rare for a museum to relocate not once but multiple times. It is even more rare for an institution to abandon the architecture with which it is synonymous. As a mid-century environment designed for the display and contemplation of the art of its time, Breuer’s vision of the Whitney and the building’s agency have not only contributed to difficulties in adapting, expanding, or altering its physical presence but have also exerted significant influence on the institutional evolution of the museum over the last 50 years. This resistance and unusual relationship between institution and architecture has also presented itself in the conspicuous lack of substantial, scholarly research (historical, theoretical, or otherwise) dedicated to the Whitney and its built form. This paper extends considers the Breuer building and its history as part of a larger networked, institutional assemblage including the museum’s institutional structure, architectural presence, cultural context, and critical public in New York City as parallel and interconnected histories. Through this lens this research provides an alternative interpretation of the historical conditions of the museum while also revealing a new understanding of the Breuer Whitney’s current circumstances and unknown future.